Anthropic announced identity verification for Claude using government ID and selfie checks, becoming the first major AI chatbot to do so, a move that may prove unpopular with users.

Having built its reputation around privacy in the AI race, Anthropic risks undermining its positioning, as competitors such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini do not require such verification.

Earlier this year, Discord expanded age verification to include facial scans and ID checks, though it later delayed a broader rollout following user backlash over privacy concerns.

In a statement, Anthropic said it is “rolling out identity verification for a few use cases,” adding that prompts may appear when users access certain features. It also said the data collected is used only to confirm identity and not for other purposes.

The process requires a government-issued photo ID and, in some cases, a live selfie captured through a phone or webcam. Accepted documents include passports, driver’s licenses, and national ID cards. Photocopies, screenshots, scans, photos of a photo, digital or mobile IDs, non-government IDs, and temporary paper IDs are not allowed.

The system relies on a third-party provider, Persona, to process verification data. Anthropic states that it does not store ID images directly. Instead, Persona holds the documents and handles processing under contract. Data is encrypted during transfer and storage, and access is limited to cases such as account review or appeals.

“Persona is contractually limited in how they can use your data: only to provide and support verification and to improve their ability to prevent fraud. They’re bound to protect it with industry-standard security controls and delete it in line with the retention limits we’ve set and applicable law,” the company noted.

Anthropic is reassuring users that their identity data will not be used to train its models, that collection is limited to what is necessary, and that the data is not shared with others.

“Your verification data is never shared with third parties for marketing, advertising, or any purpose unrelated to verification and compliance,” the company added.

It remains to be seen if this move will pay off, and if competitors follow with similar steps.